of silk roadAlthough its long active period spanned from the 2nd century BC to the 15th century AD, it was not given its name until more than 400 years later. Scholars have argued this fact virtually ever since, given that the subject was not just a single road, but a vast and ever-changing network of roads, and silk was not the only commodity carried by its merchants. But the name remains, and not just for romanticism like Marco Polo. Silk may not have been the most produced item on the eponymous road – there was certainly more business in everyday textiles, not to mention spices, grains, and dyes – but it was probably the most visible, and certainly the most desirable. From the perspective of Chinese civilization, it also seems like the most important one.
in new primordial space video aboveyou can hear the story of “the machine that made China rich.” The pattern loom, that is, its model is excavated In 2017, the Chengdu subway was under construction. They date from somewhere between 2,100 and 2,200 years ago and represent the earliest known evidence of pattern loom technology, which China put to highly productive use during its 3000-year monopoly on silk.
As far away as the Roman Empire, people of means could not afford enough, especially designs never seen before in human history. China therefore made it a priority to keep its knowledge of harvesting and weaving exclusive, at least until the mid-sixth century when a few Roman monks succeeded in smuggling silkworm larvae into Europe.
However, despite losing its status as the only land capable of producing silk, China retained a significant advantage in the form of its pure manufacturing capabilities. (This story has a somewhat nostalgic ring to it now, some 1,500 years later, when no one can dispute which country holds the title of “factory of the world.”) Its silk industry was able to achieve its scale thanks to the relative ease of using type looms, which required no special skills to operate. The most complex aspect was “programming” the pattern formed by the strands. Although it is a completely analog process, it has fundamental similarities to digital computer programming as we know it today. China’s trade networks have expanded significantly since the time of Marco Polo, and the technology it uses has developed to a degree previously unimaginable. But for some reason, “electric road” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?
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Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages ​​and cultures. he is the author of the newsletter books about cities books as well Home page (I won’t summarize Korea) and korean newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
